Precious Gift
by Zerectica
Summary: Chuck and Sarah were about to receive the greatest gift of their lives. One-Shot.


_**A/N: This story is based on my previous work, Awaiting a Miracle.**_

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Sarah winced for the third time in less than half-an-hour, and this time Chuck noticed it, because she also released a soft moan of pain. She had been trying so hard to hide the fact that she was feeling pain from him, but now that he was on to her that would no longer be possible. She was caught.

"Sarah, are you hurting?"

"No," Sarah answered, trying to keep up the ruse. But Chuck wasn't buying it.

"Yes, you are. Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because it's not until next week."

"What are you talking about Sarah? What's not until next week and what does it have to do with the fact that you're in pain and you didn't tell me?"

"My due date, Chuck. Did you forget that?"

"Wait...? You mean...? Now...?" Chuck was starting to panic.

No, Chuck, I just told you my due date wasn't for week."

"But you are having contractions regularly and they are getting worse, right?"

"Yeah."

"Then it's time and we need to go to the hospital," Chuck replied, the panic in his voice growing.

"No, we don't, Chuck. That's next week. That's the due date we were given and that's when she'll be here."

"Sarah, babies don't also come on their due dates. Sometimes they're early, or late."

"What?" Sarah exclaimed. How do they expect anyone to get anything done if they don't know the exact day the baby will come? What if I had been on a mission?"

"Sarah, you haven't been on a mission since before you got pregnant. Now we really need to get you to the hospital."

Throughout the entire ride to the hospital Chuck was nervous. He wanted to get his wife to the hospital on time, but at the same time he was afraid of driving fast for fear of hurting her. So the trip to the hospital ended up taking longer than it normally would. But finally they arrived at their destination.

By now Sarah's pain had grown exponentially worse and Chuck hurried to get his wife inside the building. Despite having gotten his wife to the hospital safely and in a somewhat timely manner, his nerves were not calmed, in fact he was even more on edge. He was babbling so much that no one could quite understand what he was saying, so it was through observation that the hospital staff were made aware of Chuck's purpose for entering the emergency doors of the hospital. He was a frantic soon-to-be-father, desperate to get his wife some help.

The nurses on call in the maternity ward made quick work of getting Sarah set up in a room. Once she was settled in, and after the nurses reassured him for the 54 time that everything was all right, that both his wife and unborn daughter were doing well, Chuck finally calmed a little. But every time Sarah had another contraction, his anxiety would spike back up and he would start to panic again. At one point when Sarah's contractions became quite intense, one of the nurses actually had to remove Chuck from the room for a while until he was able to bring his heart rate back down and regulate his breathing.

After a long period of torture experienced by both, Sarah's being in pain and Chuck's having to witness it, the time finally came to push. It was almost over. Soon all the torture and anxiety would come to an end and their little girl would finally make her entrance into the world.

It felt as though they had been waiting their whole lives for her to make her debut. They were beyond excited and couldn't wait to meet her. They had imagined the scenario a million times over the past nine months, but at the same time they were nervous. It was a new experience for both, in a matter of minutes they were going to be parents, responsible for another life. She would depend on them for everything. They couldn't help but wonder if they were truly ready for the changes that were about to take place in their lives.

Following more intense pain and a lot of tiring work for Sarah, on October 21, at 11:11 AM, weighing in at 7 pounds and 1 ounce, and being 17 inches long, little Grace Eleanor Bartowski was born and she was beautiful. Just like her mother. Neither Chuck nor Sarah could take their eyes off her. She completely captivated them. They were so amazed by this new life they had created together and they couldn't wait to take her home and begin their lives together. It was going to be a beautiful journey.

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_**A/N: My friend had her little girl today and this story was written in honor of both of them on this very special day.**_

_**To my friend and her new little girl, I love you both very much.**_


End file.
